Like Never Before
Sermon Summary
On Sunday, Pastor Russell Johnson opened the Like Never Before series with the movie cameo, the famous face that flashes on screen and disappears. He said that is how Gentiles looked in Israel's story: Rahab, Ruth, Naaman, Nineveh, rare. Then Jesus arrives and the cameos become regular cast. In John 4:4, the word behind "had to pass through Samaria" is not geography. John uses it for divine necessity, the same compulsion behind the Son of Man being lifted up. Samaria was not a detour. It was the destination. Devout Jews would add days to their journey to avoid that ground, carrying centuries of contempt back to the Assyrian resettlement of 722 BC and the rival temple on Mount Gerizim. Jesus went straight through, sat down tired at Jacob's well at noon, and asked a Samaritan woman with five husbands behind her for a drink. Samaritan, woman, sinner: three walls, walked through on purpose. Pastor Russell showed this was always God's heart, from Genesis 12:3 to Isaiah 49:6, but in the Old Testament grace flowed through the nation. Now God sits on the well Himself. He closed with the first two pastors of Faith Bible Church, Bill Elkins and Dave Anderson, and fifty years of grace now handed forward.
Discussion Questions
- ICEBREAKER: Who is the most unexpected person you have ever run into somewhere you never expected to see them?
- LIKE NEVER BEFORE: Faith Bible Church is asking God to help us understand, experience, and extend grace like never before. Which of those three feels the furthest from where you are today?
- Read John 4:4-6. Pastor Russell said the word behind "had to" carries divine necessity rather than geography. What changes when you read Samaria as the destination instead of a detour?
- Devout Jews added days to their journey to avoid Samaritan ground. Who are the people you find yourself routing around?
- Genesis 12:3 promised that all the families of the earth would be blessed through Abraham, yet Pastor Russell said the nation too often kept the light to itself. Where does the church still risk doing that?
- The woman came to the well at noon, alone, because an empty well was easier to face than the whispers. When have you arranged your life to avoid being seen?
- Jesus led with a request rather than with her past. Who is one person you could reach toward this week without leading with what you know about them?
Extra Credit
Look up Leviticus 19:34, 1 Kings 8:41-43, Isaiah 56:7, and Ephesians 2:13-14. Leviticus builds love for the outsider into the Law by making Israel remember it was once foreign itself; Solomon, at the dedication of the temple, prays that God would hear the foreigner who comes from a far country; Isaiah sees a house of prayer for all the peoples; and Paul says the dividing wall between us has already been torn down in Christ. How do these passages together shape the way you understand your own place in God's story, and what would it look like this week to thank God for the person who crossed a wall to reach you?
For everything happening at Faith Bible Church, including the rest of the Like Never Before series, visit faithbible.church/news. That is where you will find current news, events, and ways to get involved.
For everything happening at Faith Bible Church, including the rest of the Like Never Before series, visit faithbible.church/news. That is where you will find current news, events, and ways to get involved.
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